A representative of Taiwan’s South American ally Paraguay urged the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to include Taiwan in its mechanisms and activities on the third day of the UN agency’s triennial assembly.
The 41st edition of the ICAO assembly started on Tuesday and runs through Friday next week at the agency’s headquarters in Montreal, Canada. Taiwan was not invited to attend.
Speaking at a technical mission meeting on Thursday, Paraguayan National Directorate of Civil Aviation President Felix Kanazawa said that Taiwan’s involvement should be considered if ICAO aims to effectively implement its Global Plan for Aviation Safety and other technical activities.
Eighteen international routes and four domestic routes operate within the Taipei Flight Information Region overseen by the Taiwanese government, Kanazawa said.
In 2019, more than 1.85 million air traffic control services were provided in the Taipei region, benefiting almost 72 million incoming and outgoing passengers, he said.
US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg also called for Taiwan’s participation in ICAO on the opening day of the assembly.
In addition, 217 parliamentarians and lawmakers who are members of Formosa Club chapters in Latin America and the Caribbean called on ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano to invite Taiwan to the assembly through a joint letter, petitions and on social media, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.
The 217 Formosa Club members come from 16 countries, including Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru, the ministry said.
Taiwan has not been a UN member since losing its seat in 1971, and is therefore not an ICAO member.
Taiwan last attended the ICAO’s triennial event in 2013 when ties between Taiwan and China were warmer.
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